


their paths together, into the dark

by starlightwalking



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Behavior, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Elf/Human Relationship(s), Gen, I don't know how to tag this, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar, M/M, Mò Xuányǔ Lives, Nonbinary Mò Xuányǔ, Silmarillion Fusion, Soul Bond, Telepathic Bond, Timeline What Timeline, this flirts with LaCE but I wouldn't call it...LaCE compliant necessarily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25420264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwalking/pseuds/starlightwalking
Summary: Wei Wuxian wakes up one morning with an unfamiliar fëa bond - which is strange, because he's already married.
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Mò Xuányǔ & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Comments: 25
Kudos: 67





	their paths together, into the dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thishazeleyeddemon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thishazeleyeddemon/gifts).



> Let’s start off with a DISCLAIMER: I have only seen The Untamed, with the English subtitles from Viki! My familiarity with other versions of this story comes only from fandom osmosis, and the way I write the Romanized Chinese names is influenced by the way the translators on Viki do it.
> 
> Soooo I got into CQL because all my Silm mutuals were going nuts over it, and oh gosh there are so many Silm parallels! I knew I had to figure out _some_ sort of Silm fusion AU for this show, and let me tell you the linguistic conflicts alone give me nightmares, not to mention the absolute melting pot of similarities between characters and narratives that don’t coalesce into any single “obvious” plot...but I’ve finally written a bit in this AU, hurray!
> 
> Like I said, this verse is a linguistic nightmare. I mix Chinese and Sindarin and Quenya as they suit my needs, without any real consistency, which is the only way I could do this without translating everyone’s names into both elvish languages and dying in the process. Tolkien is rolling in his grave and I’m tossing and turning in my bed. I’m not a linguist and I am very sorry, please forgive me.
> 
> This is sort of a crossover? It’s “CQL characters in First Age Arda,” but the Valar still exist. “Timeline what timeline??” applies for _both_ canons; ostensibly this is set just after the Lay of Leithian for the Silm and post-marriage for CQL, but also the Nírnaeth has happened already and WangXian is the _only_ thing that’s been resolved for the CQL side of things?? I don’t know man, I’m confusing myself.
> 
> If anything, this is less of a structured story and more of me delighting in the tropes and aesthetics these two fandoms have in common: beautiful men with long hair, magic that doesn’t make any sense, semi-immortal protagonists, accidental marriages because of culture clashes, fucked up families, homoeroticism, etc.
> 
> I would say _basically_ Lan Zhan is Lúthien and Wei Wuxian is Beren, for the purposes of this specific fic? But Gusu has the aesthetics of Gondolin, not Doriath, and WWX is a mortal raised by elves, like Túrin. I have more thoughts on this mess of a verse (check out [my tumblr](https://arofili.tumblr.com/tagged/silm-%F0%9F%A4%9D-untamed) for those), but that’s really the basics of what you need to know.
> 
> Also: I started off using they/them for MXY because WWX didn’t know what pronouns to use, but now I’m kind of digging nb!MXY so I kept it even after he could’ve figured it out or asked.
> 
> Really I have no idea what’s going on here, so don’t feel bad if you don’t either. If you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer them! And if you have suggestions/thoughts feel free to send them my way!
> 
> I had kind of assumed I’d start this verse off with a fic about WangXian Beren and Lúthiening it up, or something with the Yunmeng siblings, or Xue Yang getting his Sauron on...but I wanted to write something for [known MXY stan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310831) Moth/thishazeleyeddemon’s birthday, and this happened instead! (My MXY is _very_ much inspired by theirs, and you should totally read their MXY Lives fic [“convalesce”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310831) it’s very good!) Will I write more in this verse? Who knows! Not me! Anyway happy birthday Moth ILY <3
> 
> The title is a mix of this quote from the Silm about B&L’s fate, “their paths lead together beyond the confines of the world,” and of course the single-plank bridge line from CQL.
> 
> Also: idk how to tag for this but content warning for non-consensual soul magic? and CQL-canon-level manipulation.

As soon as Wei Wuxian woke, he knew something was wrong. After his reembodiment—or perhaps it was more a product of his marriage to an elf—he occasionally had premonitions, usually related to Lan Zhan. They were good things, usually (the Valar knew his husband deserved good things after all he'd been through), but this was... _different_.

On their wedding night—their _official_ wedding night, when the fëa bond between spouses had been created, not the semi-accidental headband-sharing mishap shortly after their first meeting—Wei Wuxian had been overwhelmed by the sensation of connection to Lan Zhan. Despite his agreement to dwell in a mortal body after their miraculous reembodiment, his husband was still an elf in spirit, with all the control and connection to his soul elves had. Wei Wuxian, however, was a mortal man, and becoming so utterly entwined with his beloved was an entirely new and wondrous experience.

Mortals shouldn't be able to form such bonds, but with Lan Zhan's help he'd been able to. It still overwhelmed him sometimes, the depth of Lan Zhan's love for him, the depth of _his_ love for Lan Zhan, the closeness between them now—but Wei Wuxian would not have it any other way. He loved his husband, and to be with him even when they were parted was a marvelous gift.

They were parted now. Lan Zhan was visiting his brother in Gusu, and Wei Wuxian was still unloved by his uncle and had thus decided to stay behind in their little secluded home in the woods. Wei Wuxian had gone to sleep the night before feeling safe and secure even without Lan Zhan's arms around him, for they spoke mind-to-mind and felt each other's love even from afar.

But this morning, something in Wei Wuxian's soul was _different_ , and that terrified him.

 _Lan Zhan!_ he called out through their bond, sitting up straight in the bed they shared, dearly missing the presence of his husband.

 _Wei Ying?_ came the thought, immediate and concerned. Ah, Lan Zhan was so good to him, so caring and kind; Wei Wuxian's heart warmed the moment he heard his husband's response.

 _Oh, good,_ Wei Wuxian said giddily, lying back down. _You're there. I thought..._

 _I am always here for you, Wei Ying._ Lan Zhan's voice in his head was like a caress. Wei Wuxian shivered.

 _Ah, Lan Zhan, I love you!_ he replied, and a flood of warmth and adoration washed over him from afar, as good as a kiss would be if they were together in body as well as spirit.

But when Lan Zhan's spirit faded into the background hum of the Music around him, the _wrongness_ in Wei Wuxian's chest came back, and even though the bond with his husband remained, he knew that _something_ had changed.

It was almost as if—

But no. Surely he would _know_ if he had married someone else! He would never do such a thing to Lan Zhan, his one, his only; and besides he was alone here with his husband gone.

But then...why did this new sensation, this wrongness, feel so very much like his marriage bond? And if it _was_ something like that, why did it feel so _out of place_ and _angry_?

If it was a bond, Wei Wuxian deduced, it went both ways. Perhaps he could reach out through this new connection, and find the person on the other end.

(He should tell Lan Zhan, he realized. But maybe it was not such a big deal, maybe he'd just eaten some bad congee the night before...he wouldn't want to worry his husband over nothing. It was bad enough he'd concerned him earlier.)

Wei Wuxian breathed deep, let himself fall into meditation...and reached out.

It _was_ a bond, he discovered soon enough, but it was full of darkness and anger, like Morgoth's throne room had been; it brought back unpleasant memories of Yin Iron, of death, of tormented souls and resentment... He reached out to grasp Chenqing, half-considering an attempt to lash out at whoever was on the other end, except it was not _malice_ that shook him to the bone but _hurt_ , and Wei Wuxian had no desire to harm anyone who was already in pain.

 _Who are you?_ he demanded (for he was still afraid and upset, and his compassion did not overwrite his displeasure). _What have you done to me? Why do you disrupt my peace?_

A shriek pierced his soul and Wei Wuxian cringed, shutting off the connection—but not before a wave of pure and desperate terror knocked him over, so that he lay shivering in his bed, wishing even more that Lan Zhan were here to hold him.

* * *

Wei Wuxian attempted twice more to reach out to the stranger on the other end of the bond, but both times the connection was closed. He met only a wall of darkness, a field of silence.

He set about doing menial chores: laundry, cooking, cleaning. They needed to be done anyway, and they distracted him enough to push aside the anxiety that gnawed at his chest.

 _Wei Ying?_ Lan Zhan murmured to him periodically, checking in to ensure Wei Wuxian knew he was still there, that he still loved him, that he would return in time. And Wei Wuxian responded, pushing warmth and love his way, reassuring him that it was alright.

He did not tell Lan Zhan about the stranger with the strange bond. He didn't know how.

 _How_ : that was the question. How had this new bond been created? Wei Wuxian was a mortal man! Yes, he had died and returned to live again, when he and Lan Zhan had played their song for the Valar and moved Námo to pity; yes, he had united his soul with Lan Zhan's, when they had married at long last after their bitter trials; _yes_ , he was unusual, for a mortal—but he was still _mortal_ , fated to leave Arda, and now to take Lan Zhan with him when he departed. Mortals did not have the same connection to their souls as elves, and only in a situation as strange and unique as his could an elvish marriage bond be created between two mortal bodies.

And even if Wei Wuxian were an elf, it required _intention_ and _desire_ for such bonds to be forged. Such connection could not be forced: the elf would die from it before their soul could be so transformed against their will.

So _how_ , then, _how_ was there this bond within him to which he had not consented? _How_ had someone he did not know as deeply and fully as he knew Lan Zhan have entered into his soul? _How_? And was it wrong that he felt more curiosity than violation at this incomprehensible intrusion?

He was an inventor, a creator; it came with being raised by Noldor. He itched to solve the problem, figure out _how_ and _why_ this had happened...but he needed the cooperation of his new—partner? to even begin to understand.

Wei Wuxian had almost fallen asleep that night when he felt the bond reawaken, and he gasped as the connection opened and he felt that foreign presence hesitantly make themself known.

 _Who are you?_ Wei Wuxian exclaimed, hoping he sounded more excited than upset. It had probably been his anger that had scared them away the first time.

 _Are you...Wei Wuxian?_ came the reply, barely more than a whisper.

Wei Wuxian hummed. _Yes, yes, that is me. But you knew that already—you had to have known, to make this bond. And how—?_

Something that sounded almost like retching interrupted him. Their bond vibrated with the stranger's fear, and Wei Wuxian fell silent, flummoxed. He had expected this to be some master of ósanwë, a servant of Morgoth or a rogue Kinslayer like Xue Yang, but this person was _terrified_ of him.

 _I'm not going to hurt you,_ Wei Wuxian promised. _I am...shocked and confused, but I will not do you harm unless you harm me first._

 _But I have harmed you,_ rasped the stranger. _I—I did this to you, without your permission—_

 _Yes, and I admit I am not_ pleased _. But you could have reached into my fëa and destroyed me, and you did not, so I will restrain my famous anger._ He chuckled, but felt another twinge of anxiety from the stranger, and assured, _That was a joke. If you ask Lan Zhan he will tell you I am too easy-going for my own good._

 _But...you are the Master of Demons,_ the stranger rasped. _You stole the Yin Iron from Morgoth's crown and made the Dragon Seal! You seduced the Prince of Gusu, you blackmailed Mandos into returning you to life, you—!_

 _I did only some of those things, and not in the way your stories say,_ Wei Wuxian scolded gently. If this person knew to be afraid of him, and not to be in awe of Lan Zhan, that meant they were not from Gusu, hidden behind the Girdle and the Echoriath; he could also deduce they were most likely an elf, to have crafted such a bond...

A chill ran through him. _Are you in Yunmeng?_ he asked. If Jiang Cheng still despised him after he let Yanli die at the Nírnaeth, he would not be surprised if only evil rumors reached the land that had once been his home...

 _Yunmeng?_ The question caught the stranger by surprise. _No, I am in—_ They cut off before they revealed their location, but Wei Wuxian caught a confusing glimpse of caverns, trees, water...Qinghe? Lanling? He couldn't tell.

 _What is your name?_ he asked again. _If you have bound yourself to me, you know the deepest secrets of my soul. It is only fair I know what to call you._

The stranger paused. _Mo Xuanyu,_ they whispered.

Mo Xuanyu. That told Wei Wuxian exactly nothing; he had never heard of any Mo family. No, he supposed it did tell him _something_ : their name, and that meant they were not a stranger any longer.

 _Mo Xuanyu,_ Wei Wuxian repeated, and he found that he could feel their spirit a little better now. He had been calling them by neutral terms because he had not known if they preferred masculine or feminine, but now that they had given him their name he could tell they didn't know either.

 _How did you find me, Mo Xuanyu?_ he asked, and then added, _and why did you do this?_

Mo Xuanyu hesitated, but they did not flee. _You are infamous,_ they muttered, _and I am good at finding people. It's the only reason he kept me around._

 _He?_ Wei Wuxian prompted, and a memory assailed him: robes of Lanling yellow, a false smile, warm summer air, the rustle of leaves—

 _I—he made me do it,_ Mo Xuanyu spluttered, replacing that memory with another: a chill breeze in a hollow cavern, desperate fear choking away any breath, a crown half-obscured by a stack of fans, sigils drawn in blood—

Two different ellyn, then, Wei Wuxian decided (because they had to be elves; no mortal man would concern himself with the intricacies of fëa bonds and age-long grievances), and he wanted to know more, to get to the bottom of this mystery, but Mo Xuanyu was panicking and if they closed themself off again he didn't know how long it would be before they let him back in—

 _Mo Xuanyu,_ he soothed, _it's alright, Xuanyu, you don't have to tell me right now, I can wait..._

 _I can't tell you at all,_ Xuanyu sobbed, wrenching themself away from the comforting arm of his spirit. _It wasn't supposed to do_ this _, it was supposed to—to control you, to kill me, I don't know what I did wrong—_

 _Xuanyu,_ Wei Wuxian said firmly, and in a flash he realized just how _young_ this elf was, even by mortal standards: they couldn't be much older than him.

_No, no, I have to—_

Xuanyu retreated, and Wei Wuxian cried out to them as they left: _Xuanyu, let me help you! Come back!_

 _I can't,_ Xuanyu whispered, and they were gone.

* * *

Wei Wuxian retreated into himself, sorting out what he knew. Robes of Lanling yellow, he had seen in Mo Xuanyu's memory: the ellon who had only kept Xuanyu around for their skill at finding things was from the Jin clan. The Jin clan Wuxian himself had betrayed at the Nírnaeth, as much as he had not intended to. The Jin clan, that had taken in Yanli, that sheltered Jin Rulan, Wuxian's _nephew_...

 _I'm going hunting,_ Wei Wuxian told Lan Zhan, carefully guarding the part of his fëa that had been touched by Mo Xuanyu. _Deep in the forest, where the spiders are. If you don't hear from me, it's because of the resentful energy clouding our bond._

 _Why?_ Lan Zhan asked, a touch of unease in his fëa.

 _I came from there before I saw you the first time,_ Wuxian said softly, sending the memory of Lan Zhan playing his guqin in the sunlight, the moment he'd fallen in love. _I want to see if there is anything there I can salvage. Any spiders I can tame._

 _Be careful,_ Lan Zhan said, and before their marriage Wuxian would have thought he was warning him or calling him foolish, but he knew now it was only concern because he _cared_.

Wei Wuxian smiled. Even if he was not going to the spiders' nest, he would need Lan Zhan's well-wishes. _I will,_ he promised. _I love you._

_Mn. And I love Wei Ying._

Those words never failed to lift Wei Wuxian's spirits, but the weight of Mo Xuanyu's fear lay just as heavy on his fëa. He shouldered his pack of supplies and smiled grimly. He had a place, a goal, an elf to find. If Xuanyu was not in Lanling anymore, he could at least discover the identity of that ellon who so misused them.

 _To Lanling, then,_ he said to himself, and set out as he once had with Lan Zhan at his side on a path leading into the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> What happens next? IDK, you tell me! Well, I hope that was somewhat comprehensible! Thanks for reading, and please comment if you enjoyed!  
> You can find me on tumblr [@arofili](http://arofili.tumblr.com/).


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